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Customary Legal Empowerment: Towards a More Critical Approach

This  working paper, sponsored by the International Development Law Organization, examines the growing importance of customary justice systems in legal development and rule of law programming. The author warns against superficial engagement and ignoring the negative aspects of customary justice systems, including lack of transparency, minimal accountability and vulnerability to elite capture. In the light of two case studies of legal empowerment projects in Timor-Leste and Aceh, Indonesia, he offers several practical recommendations to achieve more effective approach to legal empowerment through customary justice systems.

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Uploaded on: Feb 06, 2014
Last Updated: Dec 04, 2015


Resource Tags

Resource Type: Practitioner Resources Issues: Livelihoods, Traditional / Customary Justice